SNL called out over lack of gay male comedians
A comedian has called out Saturday Night Live over its lack of out gay men on the cast.
James Adomian, who is known for his viral impersonations of former Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, called out the long-running comedy show for its consistent lack of gay male comics.
While one of the show’s long-running cast members Kate McKinnon is a lesbian, Adomian points out that there has not been an openly gay man on the cast for more than 30 years, despite a constantly-rotating string of personalities.
(Saturday Night Live)
The last male SNL cast member who was openly gay was Terry Sweeney, who lasted just one season on the show in 1985.
Speaking to the Daily Beast, Adomian questioned the lack of gay comics.
He said: “We are in a golden age of gay male comics, at live shows, around the country and at festivals. We are very well-presented at live shows and on the internet. Television? Not so much.
“It’s sad for me to see these guys and go, ‘Oh my god, this is great!’, and then you realize, oh f**k, there’s a brick wall in front of them.”
The comic, who auditioned himself 13 years ago, said of his audition: “It certainly didn’t help that I was openly gay.”
He claimed that execs including SNL’s Lorne Michaels were afraid of putting gay people on TV: “[They’re saying], I’m not homophobic, but I’m afraid that my audience is.”
Adomian continued: “I think that Lorne Michaels is afraid of America’s dads… ‘I’m not gonna let my kid watch a show with a gay man!’
“It would be nice if they put a gay man on camera on that show. I’ve been out of the closet the whole time since I auditioned 13 years ago.
“You would think that they would have tried to put someone else on that was a gay man. It’s about time.”
Comic Jake Weisman also called out the “bigoted” lack of gay male comics.
Responding to a suggestion that things had progressed in 2018, he told the outlet: “I mean, the guy at the top’s the same, people are just calling it out more.”
In response to the Daily Beast’s story, 2013 SNL cast member John Milhiser – who did not speak publicly about his sexuality while on the show – confirmed he is an “out and proud gay man”.
It is not the first time the discrepancy in TV comedy has been raised.
In the UK, a comedian called out long-running panel show Mock the Week for featuring zero gay male contributors on its rotating panel in nine years.
After the story broke, the next season of the show included an appearance by out comic Tom Allen.
